Downtown Bar & Grill

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Reviews by beenitty:

Heard so much about this place, I ended up there with ~10 ppl for my birthday.

Got there on a Saturday late evening, around 730. Pretty chill place, mostly people eating dinner and watching sports games. Only a few tables seemed to really be enjoying the incredible cellar this place has to offer.

It was georgous to see the bottles sitting there for consumption!

The service defininitely left something to be desired so be prepared. Its not that they're rude, its just that there are two servers for the entire place so just make sure you let them know if you want something or else they'll forget about you.

They had very nice stuff on tap that you wont see everyday, 2009 Old Stock Ale,2010 Odyssey. But I'd say ~3/25 taps are worth getting when I visited even though I've seen the list be a bit better especially the stuff that lingers around after tap takeovers.

The bottle list is nice, a bit pricey, but be selective. Some stuff you would never pay for but 20$ for 2006 22oz Insanity seemed like a decent deal.

To their credit, they have deals, or at least had a deal on the day that I visited '08 750mL Schlafly Barleywine, '08 750mL Schlafly Imperial Stout both for 14$. Whether you feel like these beers are amazing or not, I thought the pricing was very reasonable considering all of the other overpriced bottles.

The food was less than stellar but the beer was awsome.

I dropped some coin, but overall it was worth it, I'll definitely be back.

I've been to this place a couple of times over the past few years - If I reviewed this place based on the my last 2 night's visits it would get 5's across the board - I stopped in on a Wednesday afternoon to check out their draft list when I noticed a little poster showing that they were changing the taps over @5pm for some 'event' - I came back around 7pm and the place was pretty crowded, but I squeezed into a seat at the bar in front of the taps - well, the change-over of draft beer was phenomenal - Allagash Curieux '07, Peche Mortel, DFH 120 '09, KBS, BCBCS, Evil Twin Naked Lunch, Founders Breakfast Stout and 12oz bottles of FFF Zombie Dust !! ($7) - I went back the following night to see if they kept the same brews tapped and yes! they did !(except no more Zombie Dust) - 8pm and the place wasn't crowded at all, and they had live music ! not too loud and sounding good - I got a few work buddies to join me and we had a great time -
8oz pours for $8.50 is a bit pricey but we got buy-backs on our third round - cool !
Incredible bottle selection in the back in coolers and on shelves - the food I saw coming out looked pretty good but I didn't try - an outdoor seating area wraps the corner - there's a small 'lounge area' in front by the bar - bartenders were on the ball and attentive - there's a single one-holer restroom - this 'corner bar' feels open and airy, while maintaining a good ol' beer pub atmosphere.

I've spent a good bit of time and money at this unique bar in Downtown Brooklyn. Though the ambiance and service are lackluster, neither is the reason you come here: you're here for the vintage beer selection.

Need a 2007 Bourbon County Stout to complete your vertical? Want to assemble a full vertical of Rochefort 10 from 2004-present? They've got you covered. Westy 12? Got that too. Want a 1oz pour of an unattainable beer like Sam Adams Millennium? No problem.

None of these options are cheap, but they generally aren't absurdly expensive either. I can't think of any other bar that can match DB&G's selection in this regard, and that's why I bring my friends here.

A final note on prices: join their free rewards membership club thingy and earn 10% of your purchase price in future bar credit. Nice perk that they didn't need to offer, but is certainly appreciated.

I went here on a Saturday night (around 11pm-midnight) in mid June 2010. It was a pretty good experience overall. It's in a good neighborhood, and there are other good bars nearby, so it's not a bad idea to make a bar crawl pit stop here. The place is nice enough, and clean. It was very quiet because there weren't many people other than myself and my friends. The bartender could have been more attentive. I can't speak for the food since I didn't have anything to eat. I can speak for the beer though. This place has a ridiculous selection of bottled beer. I wonder where they store it all. Anyone interested in coming here should check out the beermenus.com page for this bar before going because the menu can be overwhelming. What is a little disappointing though is that they don't actually have 100% of what's on the menu. They didn't have the first bottled beer that I tried to order, so I'm assuming that there are probably a few others with the same situation. Anyway, what they did have blew my mind. The tap selection is pretty good as well. When I went, they even had DFH 75 minute IPA on cask (which I ordered almost immediately). Prices were a bit higher than usual (as is the case with much of the neighborhood), and the ultra rare stuff had sky high prices. Impressive beer aside, I felt like this place was lacking something. It's almost like they are the "uncool" bar in the neighborhood and so they overcompensate with an insane selection of beer in order to try to be "cool", if that makes any sense. If all you care about is beer though, then this is your place. The way I see it, the only reason to come here would be if you see something on the beer menu that is available here and no where else. For me, Bar Great Harry is just too close by to spend any significant amount of time here.

After hearing so many good things about DBG,
my brother and i decide to stop on a recent visit to brooklyn. DBG may not be most people's idea everyday beer bar,but it is definitely worth an visit if you are a beer geek, the place was able to appease us both.
we had dogfish head ww stout vintage 2004
than after that we had goose imperial IPA 2005
and we top that with samuel adams utopia.
the food is superb, our server happy to make recommendation,i had Pulled pork sandwich with salad, my brother had ribeye steak.
i love this place the atmosphere very cozy,
the service very friendly and warm
the bartender was helpful

Downtown bar and grill is about a 5-10 minute walk from American Beer Distributors in Cobble Hilln Brooklyn.

Atmosphere here is rather good. There is an outside seating area and the inside walls are covered in craft beer labels. Pretty trendy. Area is also quite large and provides a great place for people watching.

Not impressed with the quality. My buddy ordered a beer here and they brought him a dirty glass. He went to exchange it, only to get another dirty one... don't know what that was all about.

Service is pretty good. The waitresses are relatively quick with the orders and they come by periodically to see if there's anything you need.

Selection is really what sets DBG apart from other places. They have an ok tap selection but a bottle selection that'll really blow anyone away. Bell's Kalamazoo in NY? Also they had crazy stuff like westy 6,8, and 12 along with Sam Adams Utopia and Millenium.

Food was pretty good. The muscles are pretty tasty along with the chicken tacquitos and fried calamari.

I guess you get what you pay for. DBG is definitely one of the more expensive places I've been to and even compared to nice bars in the city like GingerMan and RattlenHum, their bottle prices are $1 or $2 more.

I had to chime in on this place because it's so close to where I live, yet I hardly ever go there. Why?

Simply put, it's outrageously priced. I love my beer, and I take every opportunity I can get to try new ones. And this place has just about the best beer list I've seen south of Spuyten Duyvil. But I simply can't understand how they justify their pricing.

Anything you get on tap here is going to easily be $2, $3, or $4 less anywhere else. (Pilsner Urquell and Goose Island IPA: $7) And their bottles are even worse. (Abita Turbo Dog: $6.50, Brooklyn Local 1: $24, Allagash Hugh Malone: $35. Seriously???)

The one time we ate there, the burger was inedible, the hummus plate was awful. The next time, we sat at a table for twenty minutes and nobody came to help us at all, so we left. We're not snobs, we just haven't ever had a good experience here.

There are places strewn about Brooklyn with better atmosphere, decent beer lists, WAY better prices, and no BS. So...why go here?

Tap List-
OKtoberfests from Paulaner, Wurburger, Harpoom, Ayinger,
Pumpkin from Dogfish & Four Plus IPA- Goose Island & Smuttynose Belgian- Kwak Red, others of note, Sixpoint Esmaculator, Brooklyn Flemish Gold, and a few other pilsners and wheats...no BMC except for Guiness, but they did have Saranac Imperial Stout. Some prices were reasonable, some werent (sixpoint dopplebock $9 for 8oz, $11 for Kwak for 12oz, mostly everything else was in the $7 range.

Bottle List-
Was freakin ridiculous...500-600 bottles id say at least, pretty much every bottle that you can get in NY with a few exceptions, they even had bottles of vintage Utopia.

Food- came in for lunch had a turkey burger ($12) was pretty good...mostly Sandwiches ($11-$18) and Appetizers ($10) and a few entrees ($17-$34)....thought the appetizers were a little overpriced ($10 for hummus, wings or mozz sticks??)

Overall an awesome beer bar, tap list is pretty diverse, something for everyone, bottle list goes without saying. would like to come back on the weekend to see what knida crowd is here and how crowed it gets

Happened upon this place completely by accident while on vacation in Brooklyn. It was always clean and neat, all the patrons were friendly and the food was excellent for pub fare. But the reason to visit is the beer! I noticed the condiments on the street in four packs (Thomas Hardy, 120minute) so stuck my head in to check the taps. "Weihenstephaner and Weltenburger Kloster!!" I exclaimed, and the rest of the drafts (more then a dozen) were all top notch. Then the bartender (Matt) handed me the bottle list and I had to pick my jaw up from the floor. 48 pages!! While there may have been holes (no descheutes how I miss it) and some places may have more drafts, I don't think you'll find a better selection of beer anywhere. And Matt always severed the beer at the proper temperature, in the proper glass, he knew his craft. Just haveing the right glassware for that kind of selection is impressive enough. But a number of the beers I drank had been aged several years and were none the worse(probably better) for the wear another accomplishment not always executed in a place with a large selection. Most of the beer is on display, and an impressive display it is. D.Carnegie Stark-Porter, Uerige Dopplesticke, Traquir Jacobite, Sinebrychoff Porter, Dogfishhead 120minute (05 I think), and Sam Adams Utopias (05 for sure) were all to be had (and all exceptional by the way). Simply put the Downtown Bar is a must visit if your in the city, and worth the trip if your not.

Note:
I've got to say, this place is getting to be a very pricey place to drink. The review below stands on its own but the prices have gone up quite a bit lately.
---Original Review---

The first thing you should know about Downtown Bar and Grill is that it has one of the, if not the, best bottle selections around.
On last count they were up to 750 different bottles available.
The tap selection may seem limited, compared to the bottle selection, but they currently carry twelve (with plans to add ten more) well picked taps and rotate the selection weekly.
The Barkeep, Matt, is very well versed in his wears and is always willing to offer a suggestion.

The second thing you should know about Downtown Bar and Grill is that with such a wide variety of beers and a Barkeep who is willing to expand one's beer knowledge, the place tends to draw a lot of regulars who really love Beer. It has been very common for me to sit at the bar, by myself, and within a few minutes be discussing my favorite subject (beer and brewing) for the next few hours. It is a really great place to gather and meet new Advocates.

Downtown is very comfortable with both a large bar and seating for dining. It also has plenty of outside seating, when the weather permits.
On occasion the bar can become too busy for my tastes (Sunday afternoon during Football season) but that's true of most corner bars around here.
The food is what I would call high end pub grub consisting of burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads and the like. Honestly, I am not huge fan of this cuisine but the quality and execution of the food are above average.

Located on Court Street in Brooklyn at a nice corner location. Walking distance from The Brazen Head.

Nice open aired bar and cafe with comfortable lounge seeting as you walk in on the right. The cafe seating is on the left and the bar is along the right wall. The bar was rather long with plenty of seating. The draft list featured about a half dozen selections, highlighted by Brooklyn Summer Ale and Sierra Nevada IPA. The bottle list featured some 300 or so selections from around the world. All bottles were overpriced in my opinion. I paid $7.00 for a Wolaver's IPA bottle that was three years old!

The menu seemed decent. I had the Cuban sandwich which was good.

A nice overall place, however the beer list gets a bit too much play in my opinion. The beers we saw were overpriced and mostly out of date. I'll go elsewhere.

When I visited this establishment, it was around 12am on a Tuesday night, so we were basically the only patrons in the bar. Everything in this place is brand new and very clean, plenty of tables and chairs for dining and drinking. I was impressed by the tap selection and the bottle selection(well over 3 pages long.) Service was attentive, we actually got to speak to the owner for a while who knows his beer pretty well. Unfortunately I didn't get to try the food, there is always next time. Overall me and my associate were very impressed by the Downtown Bar and Grill and recommend it to anyone who loves beer!

Tried this place for dinner and beers last night with my husband. The pub food was actually quite good. Highly recommend the turkey burger and the salmon burger. Both were served with avocado and are very tasty...the fries;however, were mediocre so I would recommend getting the burgers with salad.

While the beer selection was quite impressive (over 300 bottles and about 6 beers on tap), the prices were quite high compared to other beer bars in Brooklyn. The bartender was completely clueless about beer and not friendly in the least. So, I would say maybe stop by for one round and then move on to Waterfront Ale House for better service and prices.

This a nice addition to an already very BA worthy neighborhood, it basically is located near the middle of a triangle made up of American beer, Brazen head and the Waterfront Ale hse and the nice chip shop over there. Corner location, big windows looking out onto the Coble Hill nabe, exposed brick, nice wooden bar, 12 quality taps and a bottle list that goes on for about 10 pages. PLENTY of high quality brew, 120 Min, Old Rasputin, Chimay, Prima Pils etc etc on tap when we visited. Friendly service, food looked tasty, but we had just filled up on Belly bomb burritos down the block....well worth a stop for beer and food or as part of a downtown BKLYN crawl...

Although I cannot comment on the Happy Deli, for it was before my time and not in my neighborhood, I definitely can see why people are excited about this reincarnation. From the outside, you would not guess this to be such a haven for good local brews. Once you are inside, you find out...

Blue Point, Captain Lawrence, Sixpoint...few bars can claim they carry these three beers. Their bottle selection is endless... top Belgian imports and plenty of domestic specialties. One long bar running the length of the establishment, and tables and booths along the left-hand side. Food is served, but I did not try, I just stopped by for a few pints after work.

The owner is friendly and has a great sense of humour. He teased me about being a Brewmaster. He said, "how do you earn that title." I said, "Exactly. How do you EARN it???" He said, "I think you sent in a check and they mailed you a certificate!" Yeah, something like that...

The wife and I stopped by this bar for a beer during football yesterday. I was very much impressed with the draft Six Point Express. Mighty tasty beer. As for the establishment, it was very clean and spacious, with a beautiful wood bar and new fixtures. They had 6 flat screen TVs playing the various football games via Sunday Ticket. We did not try the food.
The draft beer list was pretty good with several locals being served. The highlight of the place is definitely the bottled beer list. Hundreds of bottles available, some with a few vintages. As impressed as I was with the list, I was equally appalled at the prices. They were easily the highest prices for bottled beer I've ever seen, let alone in Brooklyn. Had they been a few dollars cheaper, we would've stayed much longer. I'm not cheap when it comes to beer, but I felt insulted by the prices that they expect to get at this place.